Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of time was for the Tribunals Service to administer a First-Tier Tribunal social security and child support appeal in respect of (a) disability living allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credits in Coventry in each of the last four quarters.

Helen Grant: Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to social security and child support are heard by the First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support, administered by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).
	The following table shows the average time taken from receipt of an appeal to disposal by the Tribunal in respect of (a) disability living allowance, (b)employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credits in the Coventry hearing venue for each of the last four quarters to June 2012 (the latest period for which figures are available).
	
		
			 Appeal times (in weeks from receipt to disposal in Coventry 
			  July to September 2011 October to December 2011 January to March 2012 April to June 2012 
			 Disability living allowance 41.4 54.7 49.7 41.8 
			 Employment and support allowance 36.3 39.7 46.8 37.8 
			 Income support 32.9 25.3 19 (1)35.1 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 10.1 25 17.6 11 
			 Tax credits 18.7 22 21.3 26.3 
			 (1) The low volume of income support appeals (31) meant that a single case outside the normal waiting time influenced the overall figure. Note: The data is taken from management information. 
		
	
	HMCTS has continued to respond strongly to the significant increase in the number of appeals received by the SSCS Tribunal. Two additional hearing rooms in Leamington Spa and Nuneaton will be used from November 2012 to hear certain appeals which would currently be heard at the Coventry venue. This will reduce the number of appeals waiting to be heard al Coventry and, therefore, help bring down the average waiting time for an appeal hearing. Other work to increase the Tribunal's capacity is also under way. This includes identifying further suitable hearing venues in Coventry, the recruitment of additional fee-paid judges and medical members, increased administrative resource, and work to reallocate hearings to alternative nearby venues to ensure appeals are dealt with as quickly as possible.
	HMCTS is also working hard at a national level to increase the capacity of the SSCS Tribunal and reduce waiting times. It has implemented a range of measures which include recruiting more judges and medical panel members; increasing administrative resources and streamlining processes; securing additional hearing venues across the country; increasing the number of cases listed in each Tribunal session; running double shifts in its largest processing centre; running Saturday sittings in some of the busiest venues; and establishing a customer contact centre to deal with telephone inquiries.
	All of this is having a positive effect. The total number of disposals has increased significantly from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 380,000 in 2010-11, and 433,600 appeals in 2011-12, with the capacity for half a million disposals in 2012-13. The Tribunal disposed of more appeals than it received in every month between January 2011 and February 2012 (14 consecutive months) and the outstanding caseload within the Tribunals fell by 25% in 2011-12 to reach 145,000 on 31 March 2012. The average waiting time has stabilised nationally, and has fallen across many venues.

Motor Sports

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote energy efficient motorsport.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is taking no specific steps to promote energy efficient motorsport. However, various motorsport companies are involved in research and development (R and D) projects supported through the Technology Strategy Board's Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation Platform (LCVIP). BIS, with the TSB and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles has invested over £150 million in more than 100 major automotive R and D and validation projects under the LCVIP. On 5 September, I announced five new projects under the Niche Vehicle R and D Programme, which includes one on light weighting that may have applications to motorsport.

Post Offices: Scotland

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the provision of Scottish Government services at post offices in Scotland;
	(2)  whether he plans to expand the range of Government services available at post offices in Scotland;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the provision of local government services at post offices in Scotland.

Jo Swinson: The hon. Member will be interested to note that during 2011/12, Post Office Ltd's revenue from Government services grew for the first time in many years. This shows that Post Office Ltd, which operates commercially at arm's-length from Government, is making progress in realising its ambition to provide more services for central and local Government nationally, including in Scotland.
	The Government supports Post Office Ltd in this ambition. It is ultimately a decision for the Scottish Government, its agencies, and Scottish local authorities to determine how particular services will be delivered. Post Office Ltd is currently engaging with a range of public bodies in Scotland with a view to broadening the range of services it offers on their behalf.
	My predecessor held discussions with the Scottish Government Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, representatives from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Secretary of State for Scotland, and senior representatives from Post Office Ltd and the National Federation of Sub Postmasters earlier this year.

Civil Servants: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants are employed by UK Government Departments and their agencies in Scotland.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many Civil Servants are employed by UK Government departments and their agencies in Scotland. (125065)
	Data is collected on the number of Civil Servants on an annual basis, with 31 March as the reference date. The workplace postcode area is used to derive the geographical information.
	The latest available data is for March 2012, and shows employment of 46,260 in UK Government departments and their agencies in Scotland. Of this, 16,270 is in the Scottish Government.

Older Workers: Devon

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of people over 65 in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency in the working population in each of the last 15 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate he has made of the number of people over 65 in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency in the working population in each of the last 15 years.(125151).
	The ONS compiles local area labour market statistics from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (ALALFS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	However, due to small sample sizes, estimates for the number of people aged 65 and over in employment in Newton Abbot Constituency, are not available.
	The table shows the number of people aged 65 and over resident in Devon who were employed at the time of interview during:
	the 12 month period ending February, from 1998 to 2004 from the ALALFS; and
	the 12 month period ending December, for 2004 to 2011 from the APS; and
	the latest available period
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	These figures along with a wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis website:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Number of people aged 65 and over in employment in Devon (1) 
			 12 months ending: Number (thousand) 
			 February 1998 5 
			 February 1999 6 
			 February 2000 9 
			 February 2001 11 
			 February 2002 9 
			 February 2003 8 
			 February 2004 10 
			 December 2004 13 
			 December 2005 10 
			 December 2006 11 
			 December 2007 11 
			 December 2008 11 
		
	
	
		
			 December 2009 12 
			 December 2010 15 
			 December 2011 20 
			 June 2012(2) ***19 
			 (1) Devon is defined as the administrative county: E10000008 Devon. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality following. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey; Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey

Armed Forces

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Defence the provision of healthcare and housing for members of the armed forces based in Scotland who are returning from active service overseas.

David Mundell: I am due to meet with the Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), next week, along with the Scottish Government Veterans Minister.
	While Defence is a reserved matter the devolved Administrations have an important role to play in the provision of healthcare and housing for members of the armed forces. The UK Government is clear that both the UK and Scottish Governments must work together to implement the Armed Forces Covenant and support members of the armed forces based in Scotland.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the scope of the Rural Payments Agency to exercise discretion when imposing penalties for breach of cross-compliance.

David Heath: The scope of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to exercise discretion in imposing penalties for breaches of cross-compliance is defined by EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) legislation. This allows the RPA to make decisions based on a number of factors, such as severity and permanence of a breach. Following the assessment made by the Macdonald Task Force, the right hon. Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Sir James Paice), agreed to explore how the system of penalties for breaches might be made more proportionate to the outcomes of the breach. Exploring whether there is scope for further discretion, now forms part of negotiations relating to cross-compliance within the overall reform of the CAP currently under way.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to his Department's publication, The Government's policy on Bovine TB and badger control in England, 
	(1)  whether the anticipated 12 to 16 per cent reduction in cases of bovine tuberculosis in badger cull areas is (a) an absolute reduction in the incidence of bovine tuberculosis cases or (b) a reduction relative to the projected increase in bovine tuberculosis;
	(2)  against what baseline the Government expects to achieve a 12 to 16 per cent reduction in the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in those areas which are subject to badger culling.

David Heath: The results of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (based on an average of five years' culling plus a four-year post-cull period) can be used to estimate the effect of culling over an area of 150 km(2) and in the 2 km ring of unculled land surrounding it relative to a similar unculled area. This estimate depends on a range of factors, including the baseline incidence of TB in cattle inside the culled area and 2 km ring.
	The estimated average net benefit of 12.4% assumes a baseline incidence of 0.10 confirmed new incidents per km per annum inside and outside the culled area.
	The estimate of 16.0% assumes a baseline incidence of 0.15 confirmed new incidents per km per annum inside the culled area and 0.1 confirmed new incidents per km per annum outside the culled area in the 2 km surrounding ring.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent report by Dr Andrew Conlan funded by his Department on the prevalence and spread of bovine tuberculosis in UK cattle herds.

David Heath: DEFRA funded this research because many cattle herds repeatedly suffer from outbreaks of bovine TB, and by continually developing our understanding of how the disease spreads within cattle herds, we can continue to improve measures to tackle this disease.
	The research shows that even if cattle tests could identify all infected cattle it would not stop herds repeatedly suffering from bovine TB in high incidence areas because of the high probability of re-infection from badgers and cattle movements. We need to tackle the spread of TB from all sources whether from badgers, cattle, and any hidden infection that remains in herds.

Hill Farming

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average income of hill farmers was in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The average income of hill farmers in each of the last three years is shown in the following table. This is based on data from farms in the Severely Disadvantaged Area which is defined as land where agricultural production is severely restricted by soil, relief, aspect or climatic conditions.
	
		
			 Average farm business income (1) , England 
			  All farm types (£/farm) 
			 March to February  
			 2009-10 34,200 
			 2010-11 29,900 
			 2011-12 37,100 
			 (1 )Farm business income represents the financial return to all unpaid labour (farmers and spouses, non-principal partners and their spouses and family workers) and on all their capital invested in the farm business, including land and buildings. For corporate businesses it represents the financial return on the shareholders capital invested in the farm business. Source: Farm Business Survey

Drugs: Imports

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many import licences were granted to parallel import companies for the importation of oxycodeine between 1 December 2011 and 30 April 2012; on what criteria such licences were issued; how many such licences were granted to (a) those who had previously held licences and (b) new applicants; and how many such licences were cancelled or suspended during the same period.

Jeremy Browne: There is not a known drug called oxycodeine; however oxycodone is an opoid analgesic. A total of 122 import authorisations were approved for shipments of oxycodone between 1 December 2011 and 30 April 2012. All licences were issued in accordance with published interim policy, including a proportion for 'parallel import' purposes. Only companies previously granted licences for this purpose were issued further import authorisations during this period, and 37 licence applications were cancelled.

Drugs: Misuse

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the causes of recent trends in drug use; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) contains a self-completion module on self-reported use of illicit drugs which is the main source for estimates of levels of and trends in drug use in the household population. These questions are only asked of adults aged 16 to 59 residing in households in England and Wales. Data are published annually in the Home Office publication 'Drug Misuse Declared':
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/drugs-misuse-dec-1112/
	The 2011-12 CSEW showed that the proportion of people taking any illicit drug in the last year was 8.9% down from a peak of 12.3% in the 2003-04 survey. This decrease is due in large part to a notable decline in cannabis use, from 10.8% in the 2003-04 survey to 6.9% in the 2011-12 survey.
	An assessment of the underlying causes of the decline in the use of drugs has not been made by the Home Office. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), will not be making a statement on this.

Drugs: Misuse

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the conclusions of the UK Drugs Policy Commission on (a) the cost-effectiveness of public expenditure on tackling drug problems, (b) the strength of the evidence base for policies on law enforcement and education and (c) any link between drug use, inequality and social exclusion; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: I welcome publication by the UK Drugs Policy Commission (UKDPC) of their report "A Fresh Approach to Drugs: the Final Report of the UK Drug Policy Commission". This is a useful contribution to the debate on drugs and I have asked the UKDPC to present their conclusions to Ministers at a future meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Drugs.
	The Government remains committed to using the best available evidence. We seek advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), the ACMD's Recovery Committee and the Recovery Partnership to inform policy decisions. We will also be looking in more detail at the evidence base as part of the evaluation of the 2010 Drug Strategy.

Emergencies

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2012, Official Report, column 305W, on emergencies, what the cost of running the Resilience and Emergencies Division was in each of the last three years; and which Minister it answers to.

Brandon Lewis: I am the Minister for Fire and Resilience in the Department. Following the closure of the Government offices for the regions on 31 March 2011, the functions of the former regional resilience teams transferred to the Resilience and Emergencies Division in my Department. For the financial year 2011-12, the running costs (pay, and non-pay costs) of the division were £2,462,713.24. Office costs for the division, calculated on a pro-rata basis were £133,584.
	For 2012-13 it is not possible to give the running cost for the division as budgets are not allocated at divisional level, but we expect costs will be broadly similar to last year.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Brandon Lewis: When it is brought into force in January 2013, the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 will require contracting authorities to consider the full social, environmental and economic value of public services procurements at the pre-procurement stage. Public procurers following best practice will already be considering these factors to ensure that their services are fit for purpose and represent value for money.
	The Department is reviewing its processes to ensure they are in line with the Act.
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), has been keen to encourage local government to improve its performance in relation to streamlining procurement practices and opening up procurement spend with small and medium sized enterprises, as well as voluntary and community groups. For example, local authorities can end the use of Pre-Qualification Questionnaires for contracts under the EU threshold of £173,000, and eliminate over-specification on equalities and health and safety.

Sleeping Rough

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage increase in rough sleeping has been since the introduction of new counting estimates.

Mark Prisk: The last Government's methodology ignored the true scale of the problem of rough sleeping. So we acted decisively to introduce a more accurate assessment of rough sleeping levels. Figures can be found on my Department's website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/roughsleepingautumn2011
	Last year my Department also provided investment to roll out No Second Night Out—a new initiative which increases out reach, encourages greater reporting and public scrutiny, and ensures vulnerable rough sleepers get helped off the streets more quickly. And we recently funded the voluntary sector to launch StreetLink—a new website to enable members of the public to alert local agencies to rough sleepers in their area.
	I would add that we have maintained funding for Homelessness Grant at 2010-11 levels with £400 million over four years to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping. We have also protected Supporting People funding—at £6.5 billion over the spending review period—to help the most vulnerable.

Food: Diabetes

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage the labelling of food products that would outline the nutritional value of cooked food for the benefit of people who have type 1 diabetes.

Daniel Poulter: The nutrients that can be declared on pre-packed food are defined in law. From 2016 all pre-packaged foods will be required to carry nutrition labelling on the back of the pack, including the energy value and the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt.
	The new EU Regulation 1169/2011 additionally allows that energy value only or energy value plus amounts of fat, saturates, sugars and salt may be voluntarily repeated on front of pack. We announced proposals for future United Kingdom arrangements on 24 October.
	The regulation does allow nutrition information can be provided on an ‘as consumed’, i.e. cooked basis, as long as the manufacturer gives full instructions as to how the food is prepared. We will be considering our approach to this with industry and other partners in the coming months.

Health Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether a GP whose list is not closed may refuse to register a patient on the grounds that they are an overseas visitor; what annual fee is paid to GPs in respect of each such patient; and what steps the NHS takes to determine whether an overseas visitor has left the UK to ensure that he or she is removed from a GP's list; [R]
	(2)  whether a GP may refuse to register a patient on the grounds that they are an illegal immigrant; [R]
	(3)  what steps the NHS takes to ensure that those who are entitled only to primary care are not also accorded free hospital treatment; and what estimate he has made of the number of overseas visitors and illegal immigrants who will register with a GP in each of the next three financial years.

Daniel Poulter: Anyone may approach a general practitioner (GP) practice and apply to join its list of national health service patients, normally by attending the practice premises. Under the terms of their contracts, GP practices have a measure of discretion in accepting or refusing applications to join their patient lists.
	A GP practice cannot turn down an applicant oh the grounds of race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition. Other than that, GP practices can turn down an application if the primary care trust (PCT) has agreed that they can close their list to new patients, that an applicant lives outside the practice's boundary area or if they have other reasonable grounds.
	In applying to become a patient of a GP practice there is no formal requirement to prove identity or immigration status. However, there are practical reasons why a practice might need to be assured that someone is who they say they are. Consequently, it can help the process if a patient offers relevant documents. Many asylum seekers offer to show their Immigration Service issued ‘Application Registration Card’ (ARC) or official documents that confirm their status.
	One of the factors which determine the level of funding GP practices receive under their NHS contractual arrangements is the number of registered patients on their lists. Their global sum payments in respect of patients who are from overseas will not differ from that of other patients. For General Medical Services practices the average payment per weighed patient is £64.67 in 2012-13.
	Currently, the local PCT is responsible for establishing and maintaining an accurate list of NHS patients for the practices in its area. From April 2013, this responsibility for the whole of England will transfer to the NHS Commissioning Board.
	NHS GPs and hospitals have a duty to identify and charge all visitors that are chargeable for NHS hospital treatment, including those registered with, or referred by a GP. Entitlement to free NHS hospital treatment is based on ordinary residence in the United Kingdom or exemption from charges under regulations. The Department strongly recommends that NHS hospitals use baseline questioning and pre-attendance forms to indicate ordinary residence or exemption from charges and most have an overseas visitors manager to oversee this process.
	In recognition that the current rules are generous but also complex and therefore inconsistently applied by NHS staff. The Department has been undertaking a thorough review of charging overseas visitors for NHS care. This included how to establish more effective screening processes across the NHS to identify all of those who should be charged, so that charges are levied appropriately. The initial phase of the review has concluded and its findings are being considered.
	The Department has not made nor would be able to make any estimates of the number of overseas visitors or illegal immigrants in this country who may register with GP practices in each of the next three financial years.

Heart Diseases: Children

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) review of the Safe and Sustainable Review of Children's Congenital Heart Services will be undertaken by a subgroup of the IRP; and what the membership will be of that subgroup.

Anna Soubry: This is a matter for the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP). As the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has asked the IRP to undertake a review of the Safe and Sustainable Review of Children's Congenital Heart Services, it is now for the IRP, as an independent body, to determine how it will undertake its review.

Medical Records: Hereditary Diseases

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions are in place to allow the children of deceased adopted adults access to their biological grandparents' medical records in light of potentially genetic or hereditary conditions; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre provides the Hereditary Medical Conditions Service. This service is available to adopted persons or birth relatives of adopted persons. The service allows the confidential transfer of relevant medical information between general practitioners (GPs) of adopted persons and birth relatives.
	Provided the sought person can be identified from the information available, and is living, medical information about hereditary conditions may be passed between the GPs of the individuals involved, with the patient's consent. The transfer of any information is also subject to the consent of both. GPs involved and the individuals must be currently registered with a GP in England, Wales or the Isle of Man.

Sickle Cell Diseases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to raise awareness of sickle cell anaemia.

Anna Soubry: The Department has funded the National Health Service Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme since 2001 to develop and implement a linked antenatal and newborn screening programme. One of the aims of the programme is to raise awareness of the condition among the public and healthcare professionals. The profile of the condition continues to rise due to the success of the screening programme.
	The programme has been rolled out to engage the public in areas with a high prevalence of sickle cell. The programme has also experienced working with the 'public to develop materials to specifically engage men in the screening journey.

Capital Gains Tax

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) the North East paid each rate of capital gains tax for each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many such companies were small and medium-sized enterprises.

David Gauke: Companies do not pay 'capital gains tax' on their realised gains, rather, these are subject to the same rates of corporation tax as other streams of income. These are charged at either the main rate or the small profits rate as appropriate.
	It is also difficult in most cases to split the streams of income that corporation tax is comprised of below UK level. Given this, it is very unlikely likely that it would be possible to produce robust estimates of any CT effectively paid on capital gains at regional level.

Energy: Private Rented Housing

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to extend and increase the landlord's energy saving allowance to encourage early improvements to the private rented sector before the introduction of the minimum energy efficiency standard in 2018.

Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my response to the same question by the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson), of 19 October 2012, Official Report, columns 543-44W.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for which 50 companies the cost to HM Revenue and Customs of support claimed for research and development tax credits was greatest in each year from 2000-01 to date; and what the cost was of the support provided to each such company in each such year.

Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs are unable to disclose information on the 50 companies that received the highest amounts in Research and Development Tax credit as this would be a breach of HM Revenue and Customs' duty of confidentiality.
	The cost of the research and development (R and D) tax credits in respect of the 50 companies with the highest amount of support, for 2002-03 to 2010-11 is as follows:
	
		
			 Cost of support for the 50 companies receiving the greatest amount of support, 2002-03 to 2010-11 
			  £ million 
			 2002-03 170 
			 2003-04 260 
			 2004-05 290 
			 2005-06 310 
			 2006-07 320 
			 2007-08 350 
			 2008-09 470 
			 2009-10 390 
			 2010-11 410 
			 Notes: 1. Estimates of the cost of the support claimed are rounded to the nearest £10 million. 2. The claims are not from the same companies each year. 3. The figures are based on claims made for R&D Tax credits. The ranking of the claimants will not be the same as that published in the BIS R&D scorecard listing the top UK and Global Economies by R&D investment which uses published accounts figures. Some of the R&D expenditure reported in the R&D scorecard would not be eligible for tax credit. 
		
	
	The figures are based on Small Medium Enterprises and Large Companies' claims. Figures for 2000-01 and 2001-02 are not provided because R&D tax credits only extended to large companies from 2002-03.

Mental Function Champions

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1081W, on Atos Healthcare, how many Mental Health Function Champions are employed by Atos Healthcare for the purposes of the work capability assessment in (a) total and (b) each region.

Mark Hoban: 60 mental function champions are employed by Atos Healthcare for the DWP contract and five for Northern Ireland.
	For the DWP contract these are distributed as follows:
	North: 21
	Scotland: 8
	South and Wales: 16
	Midlands and London: 15.
	The mental function champions provide a telephone service to all health care professionals regardless of location. This approach was endorsed by Professor Harrington as the best way to maintain geographical support.

Foreign Students

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate the British Council has made of the number of students from universities in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the north-west of England who have participated in (i) the Erasmus Programme and (ii) the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience programmes in each year for which figures are available.

Hugo Swire: Data for the numbers of students participating in the Erasmus programme and the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) programme attending universities in Greater Manchester and the north-west of England are given in the following tables. The tables cover the period from the 2007-08 academic year, when the British Council first started administering the Erasmus scheme, through to 2011-12.
	
		
			  Greater Manchester North-west of England 
			  Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE 
			 2007-08 770 9 1,191 10 
			 2008-09 735 3 1,191 7 
			 2009-10 806 1 1,297 5 
			 2010-11 812 1 1,381 4 
			 2011-12 772 2 1,365 4 
		
	
	
		
			 (a) Greater Manchester 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE 
			 University of Bolton 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 
			 University of Manchester 422 9 402 3 476 1 439 1 392 1 
			 Manchester Metropolitan University 169 0 204 0 158 0 205 0 181 1 
			 University of Salford 178 0 128 0 171 0 168 0 197 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 770 9 735 3 806 1 812 1 772 2 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) North- west of England 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE Erasmus IAESTE 
			 Blackburn College 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 
			 Blackpool and the Fylde College 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 The University of Bolton 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 
			 University of Chester 43 0 38 0 53 0 65 0 73 0 
			 Lancaster University 83 0 124 2 132 3 136 0 151 2 
			 University of Cumbria 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			 University of Liverpool 171 1 189 2 182 1 236 3 211 0 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 56 0 44 0 46 0 69 0 63 0 
			 Liverpool Hope University 4 0 7 0 14 0 21 0 28 0. 
			 University of Manchester 422 9 402 3 476 1 439 1 392 1 
			 Manchester Metropolitan University 169 0 204 0 158 0 205 0 181 1 
			 Royal Northern. College of Music 6 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 6 0 
			 Edge Hill University 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 
			 University of Central Lancashire 58 0 48 0 60 0 37 0 55 0 
			 Preston College 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 University of Salford 178 0 128 0 171 0 168 0 197 0 
			 Stockport College of Further and Higher Education 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 1,191 10 1,191 7 1,297 5 1,381 4 1,365 4

Georgia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the recent elections in Georgia; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) made a preliminary statement on 2 October which noted that the Georgian parliamentary elections were largely free and fair, although certain key issues remained to be addressed. ODIHR plan to issue a comprehensive report, which will include recommendations, in December 2012. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement on 3 October which welcomed ODIHR's preliminary assessment and which noted that the elections marked a significant step forward in Georgia's democratic development.

Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made (a) directly or (b) through international agencies concerning 14 executions in the week starting the 8 October at Tabriz, Shiraz and Zahedan prisons in Iran and 12 further scheduled executions imminent at Ghezel Hesar Prison.

Alistair Burt: We frequently condemn Iran's use of the death penalty, most recently in an online campaign to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October 2012 in Farsi and English. On 24 August 2012, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), issued a statement condemning recent death sentences in Iran, as well as the regime's overall human rights record. Additionally on 24 October 2012 I issued a statement condemning the execution of 10 people in Iran on 22 October on drugs charges. We are pressing Iran to address international concerns over its use of the death penalty both through the EU and the UN General Assembly. In the UN General Assembly this autumn the UK will support the annual resolution on human rights in Iran and reiterate its strong support for the work of the UN Special Rapporteur, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, whose latest report details many areas of concern about Iran's use of the death penalty.